Firefighters' coats have been traditionally constructed with relatively short tubular members or wristlets of knitted material which terminate adjacent the hands of the wearer of the coat. A wristlet comprises an extension of the sleeve portion of one of the protective layers in a firefighter's coat. However, when a firefighter's coat has relatively short wristlets, and when the firefighter wears conventional gloves, an unprotected gap may exist between a wristlet and a glove, and thus an unprotected gap exists in the wrist region between a firefighter's hands and arms. This is particularly true when a firefighter's hands and arms are raised over the firefighter's head or when the arms and hands are extended outwardly from the firefighter's body. Such gaps expose a part of the wrist region of the firefighter, and thus protection in the wrist region is inadequate when the firefighter's arms are raised or extended.
Firefighters have used gloves having long cuffs to protect against the occurrence of such unprotected gaps in the wrist region of a firefighter. However, when a firefighter's glove with long cuffs becomes wet, difficulty is experienced in donning and removing the glove, and a firefighter's gloves must be donned and doffed frequently at the fire scene to permit apparatus adjustments to be made. Therefore, long cuff gloves are not satisfactory.
For these reasons, firefighters' coats have been constructed with longer wristlets in an attempt to eliminate the occurrence of unprotected gaps in the wrist region of a firefighter. A firefighter's coat is never removed at a fire scene. Therefore, a wet coat cuff is not a don/doff problem. A wet glove wristlet presents a problem.
The long wristlets are, by necessity, of flexiable material. Experience has shown that long wristlets also present a problem due to the fact that bunching and rolling of a long wristlet occurs as the firefighter's arms are moved upwardly and downwardly and extended from the body and retracted.
Attempts have been made to stabilize the long wristlets and to avoid bunching and rolling in the wristlet. One such attempt comprises stitching a short longitudinally extending seam in the end of the long wristlet to provide a short tube through which the firefighter's thumb extends, with the remainder of the firefighter's hand extending from the end of the long wristlet. Thus, the long wristlet is maintained in proper position and is maintained against bunching and rolling as the firefighter works. It has been found, however, that the short longitudinally extending seam exerts a strain on the knitted material of the long wristlet, and the stitching causes the long wristlet to have weakened portions. Furthermore, the short tube created by the longitudinal stitching sometimes causes irritation in the thumb region of the firefighter. Furthermore, such a tube which accommodates the firefighter's thumb causes the wristlet to be too tight around the hand of the firefighter.
Another attempt to eliminate bunching and rolling in the long wristlets of a firefighter's coat has been the provision of a thumb hole in a side portion of the long wristlet. When a hole is cut in the side portion of the long wristlet to provide an opening for the thumb, the knit material of the wristlet is weakened significantly. Therefore, such a wristlet is not satisfactory.
Another attempt in solving the problem of bunching in a long wristlet pertains to the forming of a hole in the side portion of the wristlet. In order to reduce the weakening of the wristlet by the formation of a hole therein, the wristlet material has been turned or rolled and stitched around the edge of the hole. However, such a rolled region presents a lump between the thumb and the index finger of the firefighter's hand. Therefore, such a wristlet in a firefighter's coat is not satisfactory.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a long wristlet in a firefighter's coat and in which the wristlet is readily and automatically correctly positioned upon the firefighter as the firefighter dons the coat.
Another object of this invention is to provide such a firefighter's coat in which the long wristlet includes means for maintaining the wristlet in proper protective position, without rolling and bunching.
It is another object of this invention to provide a firefighter's coat with such a wristlet which is not weakened by cutting or stitching and in which the wristlet is comfortable upon the wrist and hand of the firefighter and in which the wristlet is not reduced in dimension by the means which retains the wristlet in proper position.
Other objects and advantages of this invention reside in the construction of parts, the combination thereof, the method of production and the mode of use, as will become more apparent from the following description.